


A Pirate's Life for Me!

by Snelly_ESQ



Series: Hunted [3]
Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, Hunted AU, Mental Health Issues, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sky Pirates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-18 13:48:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29610363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snelly_ESQ/pseuds/Snelly_ESQ
Summary: After a disastrous attempt at a reunion, Ruby, Yang, and Blake end up making it to Shoalmouth, the original destination. There they meet Remus Lors, a notorious pirate captain! Can they convince him to rally the other pirates around defeating Salem? And will Blake be joining them in the fight?
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long
Series: Hunted [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2149248
Kudos: 3





	1. Shoalmouth

**Author's Note:**

> This is part of the Hunted series. it's recommended that you read 'Rendezvous' first, if you haven't already done so.

_ “Bound fer Atlas, on the line, _

_ Lovely little Shoalmouth town, _

_ Hauling for the Old Schnee Line, _

_ Bound away from Shoalmouth Town” _

_ -Bound Away from Shoalmouth Town, Vytalic pump shanty _

The airship ride was quiet. 

Save for the pilots moving quickly and stressing about some sort of weather moving in, they were mostly just doing their jobs until they got to Shoalmouth. 

“Blake?”

“Yang?” 

Yang looked at Blake, smiling. “Your arm’s all...bandaged up.” She said. “There wqas some pretty gnarly stuff in there. I figure there’ll be a doctor or so-”

Blake hugged Yang, and hugged her tight. As tight as she could muster. “...you didn’t leave because of me, did you?”

Yang furrowed a brow. “What? Why would  _ that  _ be the case?” She shook her head. “I left because I was stubborn. And I’m sorry I did. I just...I’m not known for my long term decision making.” 

“Yang, I love you.” Blake looked up at Yang. “I...I know what it felt like when I left now. And it hurt, and I was gone way longer, and I understand if you don’t want anything to do with me after-”

“Blake, that’s water under the bridge. It was years ago. I really should be apologizing to you.” Yang moved some hair from Blake’s face. “I’m sorry I left.” 

“It’s alright...I just wanna be with you.” Blake rested her head on the top of Yang’s chest, near her collarbone. Yang kissed the top of Blake’s head. “Yer alright.” She patted Blake’s back. “I love you too.” 

Yang felt Blake’s lips on hers. Both had chapped, cracked, dry lips. But that didn’t stop Yang from digging into the kiss, and gripping Blake even tighter. Her hand went to-

“Can you two wait until we have a room?” 

“S-sorry, Ruby.” Yang giggled nervously. “We got a tad excited.” 

“I can tell.” Ruby was across from them, looking out the small window, down at the ocean. She sighed. “I don’t want it to seem like I don’t want you to be happy, I just-”

“You’re sad because Penny’s gone.” Blake said. “I can tell.”

“It’s not just Penny. We don’t know what happened to Jaune, Ren and Nora seemed to not even  _ know  _ each other, and Weiss is...gone.” Ruby rubbed her eyes. 

“We don’t know that.” Yang said. “For all we know, she’s alive.” 

“It’s just not how I wanted to turn 18, y’know?” She stretched. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry for feeling down because of all this.” Blake said. “You’re bound to be upset about it.” 

The ship slowly began to descend, and eventually landed some place. Ruby got off, and stretched. “Ahhh….alright.” She cracked a few joints. “There’s an inn just up that way.” She walked towards what looked like a massive, luxury hotel, that’d been turned into apartments. That was  _ not  _ the inn they’d be staying at. 

Instead, she walked to a skeevy looking place at the edge of town. It looked like a sort of motel. Ruby got two rooms, one for her, and one for Blake and Yang, at Yang’s request. Ruby did  _ not  _ wanna think about what those two were doing. Probably either furious lovemaking or tearful, tender confessions. Either or, Ruby didn’t want it on her mind. 

Ruby thought about everyone. She hoped Jaune was okay. She hoped Ren, Nora, and Penny all got along, wherever they were. 

She hoped Weiss was at least alive. 

She went to sleep. 

* * *

The next day, Ruby woke up and looked outside. She rubbed her head. She got herself dressed, and slowly walked out to Yang and Blake’s room. She knocked on the door. From the inside she heard some grumbling, and Yang popped her head out of the door. “Hey, Ruby.” She smiled. “Give us a minute, yeah?” 

“Yeah.”

Ruby waited for a while outside, before the two of them finally managed to get out the door. Blake looked out. “Wow...Ruby, have you  _ seen  _ this place?”

“I mean, it’s just Vytal Island, it can’t be-”

From the inn, they could tell they were on a massive hill. The town of Shoalmouth lay below them, and in the harbor were ships, big, tall ships that looked like they had some flight capabilities as well. It really was a modern looking harbor. It was a colder time of year, but the wind blowing in off the sea still carried a salty, rustic smell. And the wind was quite strong, indeed, at least today. There was a beach with high breaking waves, and the harbor seemed to have far reaching breakwaters with lights on them. The town had a very brown appearance from above, and the houses and buildings seemed to be made almost all of dark, driftwood on stilts by the shore, or just slightly raised near the rear end of the town. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. 

Ruby knew a bit of the history; about how after the disastrous tournament and a few episodes of political upheaval, the city, and Vytal Island, became independent and autonomous. Shoalmouth, once a bustling resort town, now had to rely on a ship builder, a gunsmith, and some cargo lines that were based there for the tax credits. 

And, of course, more clandestinely,  _ piracy.  _

Ruby walked down the path with Blake and Yang following. 

“So how’d you meet this pirate guy?” 

“Actually, uncle Qrow knew him. He was an art thief, and he got bored with it, so he used his fortune to start doing pirate stuff. Now Shoalmouth’s full of pirates!” 

“And you want to unite them and make them into a navy to beat Salem, right?” Yang asked. 

“...well when you put it like  _ that  _ it sounds ridiculous.” 

“It  _ is  _ ridiculous.” Yang said. “But, I mean, I’ll be a pirate. If it’s the best shot we have, it’s the best shot we have.” She smiled at Blake. “Right?” 

Blake smiled up at her. “Right…” 

Yang could tell Blake was uneasy. “Y’know, I bet there’s a lot of seafood.” 

Blake’s ears perked up. “Huh?” 

“We’re right next to the ocean.” 

“Of course!” Ruby said. “Seafood’s one of their main sources of income.” The three drew closer and closer to the city, and headed closer to the shore, walking up a set of steps to pub on stilts, the Swordfish. “He said we’d find his crew here.” 

“You’re  _ certain  _ this isn’t a trap?” Blake looked around. The men here, and the women, all seemed big, and covered in tattoos. Some had skulls and crossbones, mostly in different places on their arms. Others didn’t.

“Oi!” One man shouted to the new comers. “Y’look new here.” He got up. “What’re you here for, anyhow?” 

“We’re here for Re-”

“We’re here for food. We heard it’s...edible.” Yang said, stopping Ruby. She didn’t trust this place, or really this situation. It seemed...too good to be true. 

“Oh! Well, splendid.” The man said. “Just, ehh...take a seat, I suppose.” The man, who looked all of Yang’s height and had muscles the size of anchors, seated them and daintily walked over to the counter. 

Ruby huffed. “That guy could’ve been our contact with Remus!” 

“I’m not meeting a pirate while I’m hungry, Ruby.” Yang said. She whispered. “Besides, Blake seems a little off, I just want her to get something on her stomach before we do anything rash, okay?” 

Ruby rolled her eyes and agreed. They eventually did get food. The food here was, indeed,  _ edible,  _ as Yang had claimed she’d heard. It was actually quite good! Mostly whitefish like cod, but Blake was all for it, and the water was cold, and fresh. It helped them all to wake up. 

“Ye’ll be wantin’ mints, I suppose?” The man came back over, offering them mints. “We offer them to everyone, no one likes fishy breath after all!” 

“Thanks.” They took them. “This is...unreasonably nice service.” 

“Well,” the man smiled, “I appreciate it! I grew up a pirate’s son, but really, I always wanted to work in food service. Been a dream o’mine since I’s up to a mermaid’s knees.” He looked around the pub. “Now, what brings you three to Shoalmouth? Never seen you around before.” 

“We’re...working. As sailors. Legitimate sailors. Who sail legitimately.” Ruby said, clearly not great at lying. 

“Ahhh….anyone who says legitimately that much isn’t too legit. Are you potential...pirates?” 

“...maybe?” 

“Ah, you must be  _ here  _ for remus lors! He comes in around this time every day.” 

“Is that not a bad thing?” 

“Are y’kidding? Pirates are the only ones who keep those valar super trawlers at bay! AND they’re the only ones sticking it to those pesky atlesian ships that’ve been coming around since Ironwood took over Atlas.” 

“I see…” It really had been a  _ while,  _ huh? Was Ironwood trying to...take Vytal? The trio all doubted it, but if he _was,_ the drugs must’ve  _ really  _ been kicking in. 

The door swung open. Ruby gasped. “That’s him! That’s our new boss, Remus!”


	2. The impeccable Remus Lors!

Remus Lors was born to an Atlesian boat owner. He owned a shipping company, mostly pulling contracts with the Schnee Dust Company. However, his father did own luxury liners as well, big sky ships with retractable glass domes across the deck to make them more livable at high altitudes, but which could be lowered into the ship while at sea. It was an ingenious design that his mother had fashioned, and now it was standard. 

But being rich and having the world meant  _ nothing  _ to young Remus. He wanted thrill. He wanted suspense! He wanted adventure! He specifically wanted culturally significant art, which he would steal from museums and give back to the cultures who had lost it. He was frightfully good at this, as well. So good, that he started stealing regular old art and selling it for millions. 

And then, he stole one of his fathers’ company’s ships, named it the Loretta, got a crew together, and booked it for shoalmouth. The art world bored him now. He wanted to do something more, he wanted to fulfill a childhood dream…

He wanted to be a PIRATE!

And so he did, becoming a most well known pirate captain, indeed! He was a big, jolly man, with a robotic left arm, a penchant for men, and a long list of vendettas against any and all who threatened the freedom of the sea and sky. He wore garish outfits, like this silk orange number he had on today, with a massive cocked hat and a big orange and blue feather. He smiled. 

“Why...you must be Ruby Rose! I’ve heard all about you from that pesky uncle of yours!” He walked over to the table, and shook their hands, a bright smile on under his massive black beard. He had tan skin from years at sea, and sun spots as well. He sat. “So, you and I spoke about getting together and working!” 

“There are a lot of grimm near Atlas. I dunno if we could sail there, but any help they can get is good help.” 

“Of course! We sail near there rather regularly. But mostly for automated dust liners!” 

“Automated?” 

“The  _ Schnee Dust Company  _ has its own liners now, crewed by robots. They work for half the money, and I  _ looooaaathe them. _ Dust sells rather high, as well, since the embargo!” 

“Where are they shipping dust?” Blake asked. “They can’t have such a high black market demand, can they?”

“Indeed they can’t!” Remus replied. “Which is why they don’t bother with it! The sdc has made some...less than legal deals with foreign governments. As far as I know those deals have been taken over by Ironwood so he can get more money in recent months!” he shook his head. “Cursed ironwood and his pathetic excuse for a regime have to resort to backhanded deals to support their war efforts! If you help me with this, then I’ll help you with the Grimm conundrum!”

“I see…” Ruby nodded. “Well, we’ll help with that, but-”

“Ahh, not so fast Ruby! I have  _ another  _ task for you in mind!” He rubbed his hands together. “I hear you’re quite the weapon expert!” 

“W-well, i don’t like to brag, but-” 

“I want you to help us with our weapon systems. Cramming some naval guns into a luxury liner is all fine and good, but if we’re hunting big game, we’d best bring big medicine!” 

“I...sure!” Ruby nodded and smiled excitedly. She was gonna design  _ weapons!  _ She was excited, and practically jumping up and down in her seat, until-

“Captain! Look!” Someone pointed out the window. Remus and the others got up, as Remus looked through a spyglass. He scoffed. “Hell’s Horses, it’s the Atlesian navy!” He laughed heartily. “How would you three like a bit of on-the-job training?” 

* * *

The Atlesian vessel was just on the sea. Which gave Remus a great excuse to go and ‘handle’ it. The pirates were well respected here, they served as a sort of makeshift navy for a part of the island that largely went unsupervised. Yang, Ruby, and Blake didn’t have much of an idea of how to sail. But Yang picked up some basics pretty quickly, as she was asked to help haul the halyard. She had to admit, she was a fan of the lewd songs. 

Ruby, on the other hand, was taken to the gun deck, rather, one of them. She was impressed. They were the size of typical cannons, but fired shells; small shells, but good enough to at least cause some damage. 

“So the barrel recedes in?”

“Yes, shoots back there, which is why they’re offset. We also have them tied by cord here.” A crewman showed them off. She was covered in tattoos and scars. “When we bring them in, we have to fasten them over each other.”

“What would you want as improvements?” 

“If you could make them, somehow, shorter? But still keep that range in. More powder might be useful.” 

“I’ll have to see what can be done.” She nodded. 

Blake, meanwhile, was on the bridge. She peered out. “They’re getting really close.” She said. “What should we do?” 

Remus smirked. “Hehehe, now we get to the fun…” He looked over to a man in much more modest clothing, with a knit cap on. “Smithe! Have the canons on the aft side ready, and raise the Valar flag!” 

“Aye, sir.” 

“We’re gonna trick them with a valar flag?”

“Indeed.” Remus smirked. “It’s the perfect plan! We get in close, and hey presto, they’re done for!” 

They drew nearer, and nearer. No hostile responses from the Atlesian vessel. Then, when they were close in, Remus had the flag lowered, and raised a black flag with a white skull, a red sword, and a white bone. He shouted. 

“DESTROY THEM!”

And the fight began! Guns roared from the gun deck, and blasted into the vessel, as ropes were hung to get onto the vessel. Blake, Yang, and Ruby didn’t need much in the way of training for this part. They hung on the ropes, and boarded the vessel, finding each other. 

“Okay, Blake, you look for the captain! You can probably find him easier. Sis, stay on the deck, crescent rose is too big for below deck fighting. Leave  _ that  _ to me.” 

“Deal!” Ruby said, extending the rose and looking for a fight. 

“I’ll meet you back here. Or on the ship.” Blake said. She scurried off. 

Yang found her way below decks with a few other pirates, and punched the first Atlesian she saw. “You’re being raided, meatheads! Who wants a fight!?’ 

Many just...ran for it. Yang laughed. “I haven’t even been a pirate for a day and you’re all-” Someone held a gun to her, an Atlesian. She scoffed. “That’s all you got?” She used a gauntlet to shoot the gun out of his hand, and decked him so hard he was out before he hit the ground. 

Another roundhouse kicked her, and got her side, but she used a shot gauntlet on him, and he fell as well. One went for a sword, and she simply kicked his knee and forced him back, before stepping on his chest. “Y’know, you should feel lucky.” She winked. “Lots of people ask for this sorta thing.” She kicked his head, and he was out. “Let’s keep moving!”

Ruby didn’t have to look hard to find something to fight. Having a giant scythe tended to make you a target. She mostly used the blade form of it, slashing and parrying quite well, until she got to a fencer in a fancy hat who she just couldn’t get close to. She narrowly avoided being slashed across the face with a high parry and saw the fencer’s stance for a split second. It wasn’t a great stance. She smirked and pushed, and the fencer fell down. She kicked him and he scooted across the floor, eventually getting up and running, Ruby launched back into a fight. 

The captain huffed. “What’s going on? Where did they come from?” 

“Your ship is ours.” The captain felt the tip of something against the back of his neck. He put his hands up. “How did you get in here?” 

Blake smirked. “I have my ways.” She kicked his groin and pushed him down onto the table, holding the man hostage. She...didn’t really know what to do at this point, Did she kill the guy, or…

Uh oh. 

The ship started to  _ list _ . 

She heard a horn from the Loretta, and she rushed to the deck, knocking the captain out, but stealing his hat. She also stole some charts from the room as well. She broke a window with a few bullets, leapt down, and rolled when she hit the deck, rushing for a way back onto the ship. She found a grappling hook and cord, and went for it. When she got on the ship she saw Ruby, but no Yang. 

“Where’s Yang?” 

“She’s…” Ruby huffed. Blake gasped. 

“She’s where?” 

“She’s...right behind you!” Yang, winded, was covered in sea water. She held a thumbs up to Blake. “I got sucked  _ out of the ship!  _ And I lived!” She was still catching her breath. “Barely, but lived.” 

* * *

As they went back to port after collecting any and all cargo that could be salvaged, the sky had become darker. Days were short up here, especially this time of year. “Well,” Remus spoke, “I suppose that was one of the most successful first days in Loretta history!” He shook their hands. “Your contracts are spoken for, and you’ll find lodging with these!” He handed them housing writs. 

“What’re these?” 

“Well, you contribute to society, so you get to live in a house!” 

“What about rent?” 

“Oh, don’t be silly, we’ve got plenty of houses, there’s no need to charge for a  _ house!  _ Money is for spending on things that need to be shipped in, or fancy food, or wine. Charging for a place to live, what do we look like?  _ Atlesians?”  _ He scoffed. “Go to the housing agent at the dock. 

Needless to say, they found pretty nice digs. They were tiny, one bedroom, one bath houses near the harbor, on stilts, but they had heat, electricity, full kitchens, the lot! Ruby got one, but Yang and Blake elected to live in the same one, giving away one of the housing writs. 

Yang smiled. “Blake, that was great!” She hugged Blake, kissing her softly. “Was that the greatest thing ever or what?” 

Blake huffed. “I...it was okay.” She said. “I might look for other work though.” 

“Huh?” 

“I just…” Blake looked out at the sea. “There was...there was a lot you didn’t see. I think the guns spooked me a bit.” 

“If you say so.” Yang rubbed Blake’s shoulders. “I just want you to be happy.” She said. “Whatever you wanna do, I’ll support it.” 

“Thanks.” Blake hadn’t just been scared when the guns went off. She had visions of grimm on the ship. She had visions of running through halls in Beacon. She knew they weren’t there. She knew she hadn’t been at Beacon, and yet, it looked like that. She knew that seeing stuff like that was a warning sign of something...worse. Something like ptsd. It couldn’t be that though, right? She was...she was probably just tired. But she wanted to be careful.


	3. Home Front

Yang was  _ made  _ for sailing. 

She was big, and could haul halyards and lift things. She could tie knots well, and she was practically fearless, proving this by working on the yardarms. Ruby was proving herself to be good with the weapons  _ already,  _ and had even made some minor adjustments on day 1. 

Blake was…

Blake was at home. She looked out the window at the sea. She saw the Loretta pulling into the harbor, and sighed a little. She smiled...she was honestly a little glad she wasn’t on it. 

Maybe it was the claustrophobic nature of being amidships. Maybe it was the loud cannons. Maybe it was the fighting. But something just made her horrified in there while she was looking for the captain. One moment, she was on the ship, the next, she was at beacon, and it happened on and off. She figured it was nerves. But she knew it could be worse. 

The door swung open after a while. Blake had been perusing job listings, which she’d picked up from a jobs office near the shipping office. Yang walked over to her. 

“Hey. You alright?” 

“I’m fine.” 

“Something’s troubling you,” Yang said, “I can tell. Normally you’d jump at an opportunity like this.” Yang knew Blake wasn’t one to back down from things...sure, she had a history of running from stuff. But this wasn’t something she’d run for, right?

“I just-” Blake hesitated to answer. 

“I just don’t know about it yet. I’m sure there’s always room for one more. When do you go out long term?” 

“Something about the propulsion for flight is wonky or whatever, so we’re confined to sea faring right now. But we might go out sailing for a few days tomorrow.” 

“Just a few days?” Blake furrowed a brow. 

“Activity slows down this time of year...the weather gets rougher, and it mostly goes to flying. So we’re stuck for a bit.” 

“Oh.” Blake nodded and looked through a bit. 

“Any luck finding stuff?” Yang looked down. She saw a few things, but they all looked  _ distinctly  _ un...blake. “Blake, I love you, but I dunno if you’d enjoy being a, uhm...post office clerk.” 

“I-it’s just temporary.” Blake said. “Until we find a way to beat Salem, and all. I mean, either way, it’s just gonna be to have something to do. I’ve been thinking about writing lately.” 

“It’d suit you.” Yang kissed her cheek. “You’ve got a way with words.” She cooed, hoisting Blake from the chair, and smiling. “You’re upset about something, I can tell.” 

“Hey!” She laughed and held onto her. “At least let me help you with the weight!” 

“Upset cuties go to the bed.” Yang crashed down on the bed with her, and kissed her forehead. “Blake...if something is wrong, you’ve gotta tell me, okay?” She asked. “I don’t mind you choosing a job like that, but it’s  _ really  _ not you. Are you injured or something?”

“I’m not-” Was this an injury? It ought to be. But maybe it would attract too much. Blake didn’t wanna be tied to the bed and fed medication that she’d get addicted to or something, and that’s really all she knew about treatment for this stuff. She wasn’t sure. 

“I’m not injured. I’m just a little down.” 

“...do you want me to stay?” 

“You just got the job, I don’t want you to risk it just for me.” Blake replied. “But maybe...don’t let go of me for the rest of the night?” 

“One of us has to make dinner. I think I-”

“I’ll-I will worry about dinner.” Blake said. “You’d burn the place down.” 

“Hey! I’m not  _ that  _ bad!” Yang cried. “There might be some foundation left over!” 

Blake giggled, and walked to the kitchen. Yang walked behind her, and wrapped her arms around her from behind. “You’re too good to me, Blake.” She whispered. “I just wanna be good to you. I want you to be happy, okay?” She rubbed Blake’s side. “I don’t want you to think that you need to end up leading a dull life here.” 

“I don’t think that.” Blake turned around. “There’s just a lot on my mind, and I dunno if I can be reliable right now.” She cupped Yang’s cheek in her hand. “I promise, I’ll tell you if I’m in a bad enough spot.” 

Yang kissed her, deeply, and tightened her grip on Blake. Blake returned the kiss in kind. 

“I love you.” 

“I love you, too.” 

* * *

“Yeah, so this is probably a good start.” Ruby said, looking over the guns on the ship, as they were being cleaned. “I have some theories, though.” She picked up a shell, and looked it over. “How common is copper around here? Is it cheap?”

“Is it cheap!” Remus scoffed, and let out a jolly laugh. “My child, there’s more copper in the hills and on the outlying islands than anywhere else in the world! Why, I could buy  _ paper _ that’s more expensive than a pound of the stuff.”

“And what’s your relationship with the gunsmiths in town? Where do you  _ get  _ ammo for this stuff?”

“There’s a factory further inland that makes it. It also makes shells for Vale, and for other independent contractors. We have a very good relationship with them, indeed!” 

“What would we have to do to get them to make shaped charges in the tip of these shells?” 

“...do they  _ make  _ those for this sort of application?” 

“I mean, they probably do. I know Vale uses them in larger guns. They’d be useful.” 

“We’ll see if we can get that done! We might need longer barrels, then, wouldn’t we?”

“We could keep the shells the same size,” Ruby explained, “It’s all internal, so we’d be able to get away with it.” 

“Splendid! Now, our front facing guns can swivel, but they aren’t rifled. I quite like the idea of some type of chain shot...what say you?”

“It’d be better if we could  _ aim,  _ if we face up against unruly sky ships, then we could rip the glass right off of the decks!”

“Oh marvelous! I’ll see what we must do to procure all of these provisions, but unfortunately, we will not have them by our next voyage. Still, you’d say our weapons are in ship shape?” 

“Seem fine to me! They worked yesterday, didn’t they?” 

“Indeed.” The two sat in silence for a moment, as Remus checked through some documents. “My man Smithe, the Bosun, he’s been getting your shares worked out. Speaking of, tell me about your ultimate plan for us, Rose!” He walked back up to his quarters with her as she spoke. 

“Well, I don’t quite know how...but I know there are a lot of pirate ships in this bay.”

“Of the maybe 30 ships we regularly see, I’d say 10 are pirate ships, not to mention our good networking skills which’ve brought us allies in Southeast Mistral and other coastal cities in vale!” He said, bombastically, “We’ve amassed quite the company of pirates here!”

“Yes...we have.” Ruby was feeling a bit better about numbers than she had been. She sighed. “We need to sail to Atlas and destroy a giant whale. And also Salem.”

“...I see.” Remus nodded. “It will not be impossible to convince everyone, but there must be a council held to decide further action! I can’t just go around making blanket decisions for everyone like that!” 

“Oh, of course not.” Ruby said. “But we just...we need to move quickly.” 

“I can amass a council soon.” He said. “How quickly do we need to work?”

“My…” She thought about Weiss. “My friend is up there, and she’s in danger. And we’re  _ all  _ in danger...if Salem gets her way, then-”

“Then she’ll conquer earth or whatever else that no good, blabber mouthed, stick in the mud has said!” Remus grimaced and shook his head. “How I  _ loathe  _ Salem…”

“Well, this’ll be your chance. I just need to work out...how to kill her.” 

“Oh, despite how powerful she claims to be, I have to assume there’s a way. There’s  _ always  _ a way, after all!” He said. “Anything can be created, and anything can be destroyed! Well...maybe not energy.”

Ruby walked off of the ship, heading to her stilt house for the night after a few goodbyes. She looked out at the water, in the direction that Atlas must’ve been in. She looked down. 

“I’m coming back for you, Weiss.” She said. She hoped Weiss knew that. She hoped, wherever she was, however alive she was, that Weiss knew she was there, trying her best to get her back.


	4. Cruel Bombs

The next day seemed to go by quickly for Yang and Ruby. It’d mostly been easy pickings, with ships crewed by robots, programmed to just let the nice pirates go away with the loot, and report it, as a ship was no doubt more expensive than any cargo it could be carrying. 

But then…

“Atlesian navy vessel, captain!”

“Is it, Smithe?” The two men with equally ridiculous spyglasses stood next to each other. “By jove, you incorrigible, devilishly handsome man, you’re right! Looks low down to the water, as well.” 

“Indeed. Slow.” Smithe said. “This might be just the ticket if we’re looking for more weapons and illicit dust.” 

“Splendid.” Remus nodded. “Get close, under the false, and when we get there, let them have it!” 

“If they should respond?” Smithe asked. 

“Well, then we shall slaughter them all but one, and leave him to tell his friends!” He rubbed his hands together. “Brutality is  _ branding,  _ my dear Smithe.” 

“Right you are, captain.” Smithe nodded. “I’ll ready the crew.” 

* * *

Yang was on the top deck, and was the one to hoist the Atlesian naval Jack. She hummed a bit as she effortlessly ran it up the mast.  _ “And on we go, and on we go, dee dum dadee…”  _ She looked out at the ship, peering as close as she could. She had her jacket zipped up, and wore a glove over her right hand, to keep out the sand and salt. She finished raising it, and went to the railing. The wind was blowing hard in their favor, but that ship still drew closer and closer. It was as if it was barely moving. 

“Something weird about that ship?” Ruby, coming up from the gun deck, stood next to Yang. 

“It’s just so laid down.” She said. “It’s got no speed behind it, and it’s traveling the same direction as us.” 

“Lots of dust.” 

“Dust can’t be  _ that  _ dense, it doesn’t even look like a dust ship. There’s no massive holds, the structure’s near the aft.” She shook her head. “No clue what’s on there.” 

“Could be people?”

“I doubt it. Enough people to make a line ship float that low?” 

“Hmm.” Ruby nodded. “I suppose it could be anything. We’re gonna want to be careful with the cannons though. What if it  _ is  _ dust? If it’s all that tightly packed, we might set something off if we’re too reckless.” 

“Of course.” Yang said. She looked down. “...you dealing with this well?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“I mean, you seemed so excited to have everyone back…” Yang said. “I just...y’know, I worry about you. Yer my sister, I gotta look out for you.” She ruffled Ruby’s hair. 

“I’m fine. This is better than running from a giant dog in Schnee Manor.” 

“Even without Weiss?”

“What about her?” Ruby blushed. 

“Oh, don’t play dumb, we all know you kinda like her.” 

“ _ She  _ kinda likes me. I dunno how I feel about her, or Penny, or anyone.” Ruby said. “Forgive me, but my life’s been a bit too turbulent for romance the past couple of months.” She let off a small, clearly forced chuckle. “...everything’s been turbulent.” 

“Hey, look at the bright side.” Yang looked down. “We’re pirates. Doin’ pirate stuff.” She said. “Sure, it’s hard, and cold, and humid, and the food is hard to eat, but it’s just like anything else. There’s good stuff and bad stuff.” 

“You’re right.” Ruby said. “I just...I’m so worried. What if Weiss is  _ dead?  _ What if Ren and Nora and Penny just drowned somewhere? What if Jaune ends up being a...hell, I dunno, a  _ cowboy  _ or something?” 

“I  _ doubt  _ he’s gonna turn into a cowboy. I don’t think he has it in him.” 

The whistle blew. 

“I gotta get below decks.” Ruby said. She smiled up at Yang. “We’ll talk later, okay?” 

“Sure thing.” 

* * *

The ships drew closer. The Atlesian blinked first. “Are you Atlesian?” 

The false Atlesian jack fell, and was replaced with the Loretta’s Jack. “We’re Pirates, searching for our fee! If you, fair crewman, wish to hand over your riches peacefully, we shall leave as if nothing occurred! But if you fight us for it, then you will  _ die  _ for it!” 

“...”We’ll fight for it!” 

Ruby took this as a cue. She looked over at the guns. “FIRE!” 

There was a loud roar from the gun decks. And then, as soon as the shells hit, there was a massive explosion, the shockwave which rolled the Loretta almost 30 degrees to port. When she righted herself, Yang got up, and rubbed her eyes, as did the rest of the crew, to reveal…

“Holy shit…” 

The Atlesian ship was  _ laid low with dust.  _ Packed in as tight as it could be, which was shown easily by the fact that the entire port side of the ship had been blown away. The Loretta being far enough away that it wasn’t damaged by the shrapnel was a  _ miracle _ . Why would they need that much, and where was it coming from anyway? 

Yang took pictures with her scroll, before the ship, with a now ripped open hull, went down. She saw something odd in there. Big, black boxes, with Xs on them. One was floating in the water. She took a picture of it. 

“...Smithe!” Remus tried to get his hearing back. “Smithe!” He rubbed his eyes. “Where are you?” 

“Here, captain!” 

“Smithe, get a lifeboat crew in the water, search for survivors and see if you can’t haul in that...box!” 

“Aye, captain.” 

Yang volunteered immediately. The lifeboats weren’t the typical image of a dinghy and some oars, they were well designed vessels, with small motors. The crew was more for hauling things in than paddling the boat out. They fished some survivors out, and left the other bodies. After one pass to the ship, they went back in and got the box. It was waterlogged, and the winch had trouble getting it on, but they got it, and kept it there. 

“What was on that ship?” Remus asked a survivor, who was being rushed to the surgeon with a large gash, no doubt from debris, on his chest. 

“...bombs.  _ Cruel bombs. _ ” He said. “L-leave now…” He clutched Remus’ chest. 

The crew heeded the warning readily; they headed back the other way, under power from the seldom used, slow engine. 

* * *

Ruby analyzed the box, which was more like a crate. It was as big as she was, and had a large bag with a parachute on it. Opening the lid carefully with a crowbar, she looked inside. “...dust.” She said. “It’s a bunch of dust. All sorts, it looks like.” She tried to run her hand through it. “Water’s packed it all together.” 

“What’s that there?” Yang pointed to a piece of wire. Ruby took it out. 

“It’s a quick match.” Ruby studied it closely. “If we dig around the hole, carefully, we should find…” 

She dug, very ,  _ very  _ carefully, and found what she’d fear. 

_ Explosives.  _

“Do you know what this means?” Ruby asked Yang. “If they make this explode, not only will it be aided by the dust inside of it, but also the dust around it provided it’s packed well enough. The stuff that gets flung out will become fumes, which-”

“Which are toxic in high enough concentrations.” Yang glared at the box. “If we were still with the wind we would’ve been following it, and it could’ve killed us.” 

Remus chimed in. “They’re planning on smoking  _ something  _ out. But what?” 

“Your guess is as good as mine…” Ruby sighed. “...if this is what Weiss has to deal with, or Penny, or-”

“Ruby.” Yang looked at Ruby, putting her hands on her shoulders. “We’re alive. Right now, that has to be good enough.” She hugged Ruby close, and patted her back. As they slowly crept closer to port, Yang sighed as they dumped the box overboard. 

She heard how that Atlesian sailor had referred to them.  _ Cruel bombs. _

Cruel, indeed.


	5. The Gunsmith

Ruby stayed up all night that night. The guns were being re-outfitted. She worked on the gun deck to get everything ready and settled in, as the winch lowered guns on, gunners tied them down, and loaders carried crates of ammunition. Some of the new designs, and some of the regular lot. She sighed. 

“So, Ruby Rose!” Remus patted her back and smiled brightly. “I see you’re doing rather well at organizing the onboarding.” 

“I guess my time as a huntress taught me a bit about leading.” She said, looking up at him. 

“Indeed. Huntsmen make decent pirates, you know. Well,  _ some  _ of them. Your uncle, for instance, would’ve been a fabulous pirate!” He said, walking with her up to the top deck. “It’s all about personality, at least as Smithe puts it.” 

“The bosun?” 

“He’s in charge of all hiring and contract disputes. He’s the one who sent for you all, after our crew was left so shorthanded!” His navy blue shiny jacket seemed to play well with the colors in the night sky, where stars were visible for miles. Ruby hadn’t seen this many stars in a long time, being in Atlas they become a rarity. 

“Yes, it’s all in the personality. Willing to take high risks for high rewards. That Yang Xiao Long, she’s  _ quite  _ good at the job!” 

“She’s always been about risks.” Ruby said. “If there’s no risk, she doesn’t like it.” 

“That’s good in a pirate.” He leaned on the railing, looking out to see. “...but even the risk posed by those cruel bombs, as they called them, may prove too much for some of the other captains.” He said. “At least, some of the freight captains.” 

“...you’re not telling me you already had the council?” 

“Oh, heavens no, that would be much too soon.” He waved his arms dismissively, and shook his head. “No, and I haven’t heard from them either whether or not they’re scared of them. But they are a frightening possibility.” 

Ruby thought for a moment. “If the dust is too tightly packed, then none will fly out, or at least, less.” She said. “One of the properties of the stuff is that if it gets too wet it can be sticky. It’ll clump up. Less fumes means less risk.” 

“But how could we saturate it?” 

“...I have a plan.” She smiled, and walked to the bottom of the ship. “See these?” 

“The bilge pumps?” 

“Yeah! Are these manual or-”

“They can be manual or automatic!” He said, leaning on one. “Truly the pinnacle of bilge pump technology!” Say what you will about Remus, He was enthusiastic about everything. 

“So if we had smaller pumps hooked to something on the gun deck, we could shoot water at the boxes before they were hoisted overboard.” 

“Is that how they’ll deploy them, you think? What about the one we dragged up? It was waterlogged!” 

“When we have flying ships again,” She smirked, “We can take on water, and have sprayers hit them before they hit the ground. There were holders for a parachute on the crate, so I don’t think they’re free dropping them. That makes them even easier to hit!” 

Remus clapped, and nodded. “Wonderful! Most wonderful indeed! We can procure smaller, automatic pumps for such a task, which can shoot with higher pressure. We can even have ships in the harbor, fire fighting ships with large hoses.” He rubbed his hands together. “Ruby Rose, this is the perfect defense mechanism! Will it neutralize them?” 

“Well...no. There’s still explosives and those quick matches are pretty much water proof. So even with the dust, there’ll be an explosion that’s considerable. The water just removes the toxicity from it.” 

“Well...can’t win ‘em all. Still, less toxins in the air is always a good thing!” He said. “We’re one step closer to fighting the Atlesians, beating them at their own game, and taking it to Salem!” He said. “I must go see to it that everyone is paid their share. You make sure things are all ship shape up on the gun deck.” 

“Aye, captain.” 

Ruby, feeling accomplished for the first time in  _ ages,  _ walked up to the gun deck. “Everything on?” 

“Yep.” The large, muscular woman who helped on the gun deck leaned against a post. “We’re all finished.” She wiped her brow. “Took half the time it normally would’ve, so that’s nice.” She patted Ruby on the back. “Let’s get off this pile and head home, eh?” 

Ruby nodded. “I’m beat after today.” 

“Especially that big krang from the dust. Eugh.” She shook her head. “You gotten any tattoos yet?” 

“Not yet.” 

“Well, gotta get one now. That older sister of yours got a few her first day here. Apparently she already had a lot of ‘em.” 

“...Yang got tattoos without  _ me,  _ huh?” 

“A few.” 

“Hmmph.” Ruby said, “Thanks for telling me, I’ll never let her hear the end of it!” She laughed. “See you around.” 

* * *

Ruby got home. The environment of the ship, made up of friends, colleagues, and loud jokes, was replaced by the most painful, deafening noise of all of them; silence. 

Some would find peace and refuge in the sound of soft, crashing waves in the distance, and sea birds, and the smell of the salt sea air. Some would find tranquility in the empty home, the sound of the sink running, a refrigerator revealing leftovers, and a soft night in, in front of a television set. 

Ruby just found it confusing, and tiring. It was too quiet. Far too quiet. She missed the sound of Blake and Yang flirting, and of Ren and Nora hopelessly misunderstanding each other all of the time, and of Jaune and Oscar inevitably getting into trouble, and of Penny’s voice. She loathed the loneliness, despised it. It broke her at every turn. She kept thinking out of the corner of her eye, she’d see Ren telling her to eat better, or Weiss saying she ought to be better at drawing up plans for this, or Penny reciting facts about boats from her database. 

She felt like she’d let them down. 

And for all she knew, they were  _ dead.  _ She rubbed her eyes and leaned on the railing of her porch, looking over at Blake and Yang’s house. Yang had just come home, and while she couldn’t figure out quite what was going on, the light turning out in one of the rooms made her feel a little happier.  _ They’re okay,  _ she thought.  _ They’ll be alright.  _ She stared out at the ocean, crashing its way to the shore. She shivered a bit, and walked back inside, closing the door and locking up for the night. She sat in her bead, and hummed a bit. 

Maybe it’d be a dream. Maybe she’d wake up tomorrow and it would all be okay. 

Probably not. She set her alarm for 7:15. 


End file.
